In order to protect palletized merchandise from moisture and dirt in shipping and handling, such palletized merchandise is often wrapped with a web of clear plastic film. This web is dispensed from an assembly typically in the form of a web of indeterminate length wrapped around a hollow cylindrical core. The free end of the web is tucked into a starting point of the palletized merchandise. An operator then walks around the palletized merchandise holding the core and dispensing the web over the merchandise as he walks around the merchandise being wrapped.
Handling systems have been developed to facilitate the holding of the roll and dispensing of the web.
Because those handling systems have been expensive, cumbersome and fragile, many operators will dispense with them and hold the web roll in their bare hands. Since the web roll slides as it rotates relative to the operator's fingers as the web is dispensed, the operator risks cuts and burns from the web roll. In addition, the fingers of the operator may engage the edges of the web, which may cause the web to split or tear before the palletized merchandise is fully wrapped.
In order to avoid the shortcomings of conventional holding assemblies, as well as the undesirability of having an operator handle the web rolls with bare hands, holding members have been developed. These members generally consist of inserts which are placed into each open end of the web roll core. Each insert is shaped like a cylindrical hat with a wide flat brim. The operator puts his fingers into the interiors of the hats, which remain stationary as the web roll rotates. Thus, the operator's fingers are protected. The brim of the hat prevents contact between the fingers of the operator and the edges of the web. Such an insert system may be found in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,500.
Even this simple system has been found to have its drawbacks. Often an operator must lay down a web roll to attend to another matter. In order to avoid soiling the web with dirt or moisture which is often found on wsarehouse floors, the operator will stand the roll on one end. If extreme care is not taken while doing this, the protective insert may fall out of the web roll core. The insert might then be damaged if the roll is put down on top of it, or may equally as likely become lost. The operator using this system may thus find himself constantly replacing and refitting inserts in the web core. Besides being inconvenient, this arrangement is costly and time-consuming.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a novel insert system for use with wrapping film supply rolls and the like for telescoping insertion into the ends of the supply rolls to facilitate the dispensing operation, for permitting substantially free rotation of the supply roll relative to the inserts as the web material is dispensed, while at the same time preventing the inserts from becoming dislodged from the web roll core.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel insert system for use in dispensing wrapping material in the form of an elongated web from a supply roll, said inserts being light in weight and having a low coefficient of sliding friction, as well as a relatively loose engagement with the web roll core, to facilitate relative sliding movement between the inserts and the web roll core.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel inserts system for use in dispensing wrapping material from a supply roll wherein retaining means are provided to keep the inserts engaged with the web roll core no matter how low the friction or loose the fit between the insert and the core.